Unwanted Guardianship
by Ray of Starlight
Summary: "I know you hate me," she said. "I know you don't want to be my guardian." Maggie wonders how much longer she can put up with Sunny's distain and Sunny contemplates his role as Maggie's guardian.


Unwanted Guardianship  
One-Shot Sequel to Twin Times the Fun

He was a giant, alien robot. He also transformed into a bright yellow Lamborghini. Neither was very discrete. He shouldn't be this hard to find.

Maggie huffed, wandering down corridor after corridor, asking help from anyone she passed if she had seen her elusive guardian. No one had seen him. She wished she could've asked Sideswipe or Hannah. They would know for sure where he was. It was obvious that Sunny didn't exactly love being her guardian and that he was doing it because Optimus ordered him too, but was it necessary to start this game of hide and seek everything she needed something?

Walking around the corner into yet another hanger she was less then surprised to see that it was empty. At this point, Sunstreaker probably heard through the grapevine that she was looking for him and making it extra difficult for her to find him.

Maggie couldn't deny that it hurt a little. She had thought that after the first couple of weeks, maybe a month, he would've gotten used to her, but that was clearly not the case. Three months later, he was still avoiding her like the plague.

Maybe it was their personalities. They were both very stubborn. Neither would be the first to back down from an argument, which in itself led to a lot of fights. Maggie had started thinking Optimus made a mistake a long time around. Glen was with Wheeljack and they seemed to be getting along great. Wheeljack took his guardianship duties happily and, of course, Glen was weary, especially with the warnings of Wheeljack's habit of getting carried away with his experiments and blowing things up. Unfortunately for the rest of them, Glen took to this like a child at Christmas. Glen even had a special suit that would allow him to get up close and personal with Wheeljacks experiments without getting himself incinerated.

Now why couldn't Maggie and Sunstreaker do that?

Slumping against the wall, leaning on her shoulder, Maggie pouted. She was honestly getting sick of trying, but Hannah was very convincing. Hannah seemed like the only one who genuinely didn't want to give up on Sunstreaker, but for some reason that Maggie wasn't too sure of, Sideswipe often stayed clear of his twin if Hannah was around and Hannah spent most of her time with him. Occasionally, Hannah would approach Sunstreaker if just to talk and the mech would dodge her. Hannah admitted to not fully understanding why both mechs were uncomfortable with each other when it came to her, but that it had something to do with being a guardian.

But Maggie couldn't even think of a time Sunny ever got iffy around the other Autobots when she was around. Maggie was allowed to go where she wanted when she wanted and Sunny expressed that he had nothing to do with her decisions. For fun, Hannah and Maggie talked about going skydiving as something they wanted to do before they died. Sides flipped out. Sunny looked worried, but the concern wasn't directed toward Maggie.

Shaking her head, as if to dislodge anymore thoughts of the situation from her head, Maggie decided she didn't want to think about it anymore. Sunstreaker could do whatever the hell he wanted without her. She was going to talk to Optimus, tell him that it wasn't working out and that she didn't need a guardian. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Spinning around on her heel she moved to do just that only to scream bloody murder and leap ten feet into the air as a pair of bright blue eyes analyzed her closely if not irritably. Maggie pressed a hand to her chest to quell her racing heart as her surprise quickly melted into anger.

"Why in the hell would you sneak up on me like that?" she demanded.

Sunny's eyes narrowed at her tone as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I heard you were looking for me," he stated. "What do you want?"

Maggie blinked dumbly. "I…I was, but you…uh…" She tried to smile. "I just wanted to see if you wanted to get out of here for a bit."

"And go where?"

"Anywhere."

Sunny frowned confusedly. "You can't do that on your own?"

Maggie tried not to let any hurt show. After all, she shouldn't be surprised by this. "I could. I just thought you would want to leave too, just to get out for a while." Feeling a little more than awkward, Maggie tried to pass him. "Forget I said anything. I'll see you later."

She was an idiot. Sunny didn't want anything to do with her. She didn't understand why she even bothered to try. This little ploy to try and have some guardian-ward bonding was ridiculous. She should've known that he would have never gone for it.

A firm hand on her wrist stopped her from walking away. "Wait." His voice was soft. "Okay. Let's go."

Maggie spun around, eyes wide in surprise. "Really?"

Sunny rolled his eyes. "I just said okay. What do else do you want from me?"

"Nothing," she replied quietly. "So…where do you want to go?"

There was a teasing smirk on his face, rare when it came to her. "This was your idea. Where do _you_ want to go?"

"Far away from here," Maggie replied honestly. "Love the people, but I'm feeling a little more then trapped."

Blue eyes shone with understanding.

"That and I can't stand the food," Maggie said. "I think I want McDonalds."

Sunstreaker's lip turned up with disgust. "I thought you were smart. That stuff will kill you."

Maggie smiled excitedly. "Yep. I definitely want McDonalds. I want a double cheeseburger with fries and a milkshake." She pressed a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll get chicken nuggets…Oh, I know! I want a _Big Mac_."

Sunny watched her mixed between curiosity and disgust. "How could you eat that garbage?"

"Because it's delicious. Besides," she said, "it's not like I eat it everyday. It's a treat. Like ice cream."

Sunny crossed his arms. "I feel like I would not be fulfilling my duties as guardian if I allowed you to eat that."

Maggie tried to ignore the statement as it sounded like Sunny was a little more accepting of being her guardian. She didn't want to read into it much. She just smiled and followed Sunny as they made their way towards his body. Once close enough, Sunny human form fizzled out of existence and the Lamborghini came to life, the passenger side popping open.

Maggie slid into the seat and put her seatbelt on. Sunny hologram appeared once again in the driver seat. Tires squealed as Sunny rocketed for the exit without warning forcing humans in their way to dodge. Maggie pressed herself back in the seat and held her breath with one hand pressed to the roof of the car the other to the dash. She was mildly aware of the grin on Sunny's face.

No doubt Optimus would be alerted of Sunstreaker's recklessness when it came to their human allies in the base and he would be lectured and/or punished for it later. Right now, though, he was just happy to be driving away from the dam, silently appreciative for Maggie's suggestion, though he would never say it out loud. He didn't want to give the human female any ideas that he actually liked her.

Maggie eventually calmed enough to sit normally, her racing heart slowly back down to normal. "Do you _always_ have to do that?"

Sunny shrugged. "No, but it's fun watching them scramble."

The blond rolled her eyes and slouched in her seat. They rode in silence as they merged onto the highway. Maggie didn't question him why they were getting onto the highway, but she was getting a little more irritated every time they passed an exit that would take them to McDonalds.

"Can I get food or not?" she finally asked.

Sunny frowned at her. "I'm not taking you there."

"Are you serious?" Maggie pouted. "Then where are we going? I'm hungry."

Sunny rolled his eyes this time, unconsciously taking on human behaviors and characteristics. "Just be happy I'm taking you anywhere."

"This is kidnapping."

"I'm your guardian."

Maggie turned away to look out the window. "Yeah, well, you're terrible at it."

Ratchet had advised Sunstreaker not to lose his temper when it came too his ward. Unfortunately, it seemed like Maggie's mission to piss him off. "How unappreciative of you," he said snidely. "It's not like I wanted this job in the first place."

Maggie nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can tell."

Sunstreaker felt a little pang of guilt, but associated that with the forced bond he had with her. It went against the guardian code to upset a ward even in the slightest way, so Sunny attributed it to nothing more then a side effect. His glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was slouched in her seat, staring solemnly out the window. He was anticipating more comments out of her so it surprised him when the fiery female remained silent.

Sunny sighed and focused on the road. The next exit sign displayed an array of fast food restaurants, including McDonalds. Maybe if he took her where she wanted to go she'd stop being so pitiful looking even if it was terrible for her. Resolved, Sunny shot across three lanes cutting people off, getting his fair share of horns and middle fingers as he shot up the exit. Maggie glared at him even as he pulled into a parking spot.

"Stop being mad," he ordered. "Go get your food."

"I'm not hungry."

"Primus woman! Will you make up your mind?"

Maggie crossed her arms. "Just go back to base."

"I thought you wanted to leave."

"I want to go back."

"Is this one of those female-time-of-month things?"

Maggie's fist swung out and nailed him in the shoulder hard enough where he could hear her knuckles crack against the solidity of his hologram. It didn't necessarily hurt, at least not as much as Maggie probably would have liked, but he still felt it. Rubbing his shoulder he looked at Maggie, trying to hide the surprised look on his face. She was very capable of understanding that she was outmatched in a battle of strength. Human females were typically weaker then males physically, that was just genetic design, but his strength, even in this smaller form far surpassed that of even the most fearsome human.

She had guts, he'd give her that. Maggie was not afraid to speak her mind and share her input, even if no one asked for it. It was probably why she got along so well with Ratchet. More than once, Sunstreaker wondered why she wasn't paired with the medic instead.

Maggie looked hurt and annoyed at the same time. She was discretely trying to cradle her damaged hand to her chest, turning slightly to show him her back. Given his expertise in combat, he was aware that she had punched him wrong and had hurt herself. In the back of his processor he made a note to teach her properly for her own good.

"Let me see," he said reaching out.

"Leave me alone," she replied.

He sighed. "I know you hurt yourself. Let me see if you broke something." He touched her shoulder only to have it roughly jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me," she same tightly. She grabbed the door handle and tugged angrily. "Let me out."

Sunny frowned at her. "Why are you being so emotional?"

Maggie glared at him, her eyes filled with angrily tears. "Like you have to ask."

Sunny looked confused and Maggie wanted to hit him again, but given the throbbing in her hand she really didn't think that would be a good idea. She honestly didn't know what to do. It wasn't like this was her worst experience with her guardian. There had been instances when he had been downright cruel to her, but this was tame compared to that. But it was the final straw. She was tired of putting herself out on a limb only to have him cut the branch she was hanging from. She was just tired.

"I know you hate me," she said. "I know you don't want to be my guardian. I've tried talking to Optimus but—"

Sunny's eyes narrowed darkly. "You what?"  
"You're miserable!" she cried. "You don't want me around! I don't know what he was thinking anyway. It's just not working out and I'm sick of trying to get you to like me."

Sunny shook his head. "You shouldn't have done that."

"What? Try to save both of us a lot of grief?"

"Look, I'm…_sorry_, okay?"

Maggie's mouth snapped shut. "Excuse me?"

"I know I can be…difficult," he muttered, "but I don't hate you. I've never hated you."

"You treat me like crap, Sunstreaker. _Everyday_."

"I never said that I _liked_ you. I just don't _hate_ you."

Maggie's brows went into her hairline. "But you don't like me?"

"You don't like me either."

She scoffed. "Sunstreaker, the only reason I don't like you is because you don't like me. I've tried to get along with you but it's a two-way street."

The Autobot shifted uncomfortable in his seat. "Why should I bother?"

"Um, I don't know," she said sarcastically, "maybe because you're pretty much stuck with each other right now?"  
Sunstreaker flinched. "True."

"Okay, so, we don't have to like each other. We just have to tolerate each other. Maybe put on a show for Optimus so he'll stop nagging you," she suggested.

He nodded slowly. "We could. You think he'd buy it?"

Maggie shrugged. "It'd have to be pretty believable, but yeah. But honestly," she looked at him tentatively, "I'd rather not pretend."

Sunny resisted rolling his eyes and focused on Maggie's face. Her green eyes were slightly hopeful, her lips pursed in a small pout. Hannah made a similar face. Sideswipe fell for it every time. Sunny could recalled times Hannah would smile and wink at him behind Sides' back as she got what she wanted. It should have made him mad that she was taking advantage of his brother like that, but he knew that he'd only being fooling himself. Whatever Sides did for her, Sunny would wish that their roles were reversed, then immediately feel guilt for wishing that.

Maybe he could pretend with Maggie. It was weird that he was even considering it. But if he could make Maggie think he was serious everyone would stop nagging him. Hannah would stop looking at him like she knew something was wrong that she couldn't put her finger on. It'd be so much easier to blend in.

"Me neither," he finally said. "Why don't we start over?"

Maggie smiled. It felt strange to be on the receiving end of such a thing and it wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be to smile back.

She held out her hand. "Maggie Madsen. Nice to meet you."

He took it. "Autobot designation: Sunstreaker. Likewise."

They shook and Sunny tried to ignore how warm her hand was.

"I'm still hungry, though," Maggie announced.

Sunstreaker sighed. "Well I'm not taking you to McDonalds."

Maggie didn't look mad. "Then where are we going?"

"There's a Lebanese restaurant nearby. You like Lebanese food, don't you?"

The blond looked surprised. "Uh, yeah. Love it actually."

Sunstreaker grinned. "See, I pay attention."

Pulling up to the hole in the wall restaurant, Sunny could hear Maggie's stomach grumbling. He parked as close to the building as he could since he could only be a certain distance away from his body. Walking with Maggie into the restaurant, he surprised her by holding the door open for her. It was the gentlemen like thing to do but he didn't expect such a wide smile. It made him a little…flustered. That was probably the best human emotion to describe it. Given that he couldn't eat, he just got a glass of water for show and ordered something he knew Maggie would like.

"You can't eat," she said confusedly.

"But you like shawarma right?"

"Yeah, but I can't eat all that plus what I got."

Sunny shrugged. "Leftovers."

Maggie grinned. "That would've been sweet if you were paying."

His blue eyes narrowed at her. "I don't have money."

She shook her head. "Just kidding. You need to blend in and ordering food makes you blend in. I'll eat a little of what you ordered to make it look like you ate some."

Sunstreaker actually grinned a little. "Thanks. I owe you big time."

Maggie giggled and took a sip of her diet Coke.

Sunny frowned at the drink. "You know diet soft drinks aren't good for you right?"

"They're not terrible," Maggie defended.

"True, but you drink a lot of diet soda, Maggie," he lectured. "You should drink more water or fruit juices."

She pouted. "What are you my mother? First no Mickey D's and now you want to take my soda away?"

The autobot crossed his arms. "If you cut back on diet Coke I'll lay off."

"Okay," she agreed. "I can do that."

Sure enough when the waitress came back to offer another diet Coke Maggie opted for water. Sunstreaker felt genuinely pleased. It seemed that Maggie really was going to make an effort to make their partnership work. When the food came and Maggie's face brightened at two of her favorite Lebanese dishes he started to think himself that maybe it wouldn't be that hard for him to try either.

* * *

**A/N:** So...I guess this means I'm not dead? Maybe? I understand that I've been MIA for a _long_ time. It's not that I've lost interest, believe it or not, it's just that I don't have time for anything anymore. I just threw this together one night for the heck of it. It's nothing special, but I'd thought I'd share it. I have also been dabbling with another Twin Times the Fun one-shot with involving Sunny, Sides, Hannah, and Riley. I hope to finish it soon.

To those who are also into my Ties that Bind stories, I can't make any guarentees at this point but I will at least tell you this, I am completely rebooting it. Looking back on it, I don't hate it but there were a lot of things that I wish I had done differently. Some chapters haven't changed at all, some only a little and others have been completely overhauled. I feel like I have to fix the first story before I can fully move on with the second one, plus I want to incorporate both Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon in the (what I plan to be a) trilogy.

So I understand if a lot of people have left these stories behind and moved on. I'm not blaming them. For those of you that have hung in there wondering 'wtf is with this chick' but still have a little interest in my stories I thank you and ask for you to hang in there a little longer if you can. I'll try and get and new version of TTtB out as soon as I can.

Thank you all for your support and I hope this little fic was okay for you. As always thanks for reading and please review!

-Ray


End file.
